The present invention relates to registration apparatus and methods for electronic musical instruments.
In the past, electronic musical instruments have been known having a so called registration function that stores in a memory information collectively representing various set parameters that each specify a respective one of types of musical sound generation such as kinds of qualities and volumes of musical sounds to be generated, types of effects to be added to the musical sounds, and kinds of rhythms to be accompanied automatically, that selects an item of information that specifies a desired type of musical sound generation from among the plurality of items of information registered in the memory, and that forms a musical sound in accordance with various parameters that compose the selected item of information.
According to such electronic musical instrument, since a desired item of information is called from among the plurality of items of information registered in the memory in accordance with operation of a registration switch to thereby set the operational manners of the respective elements of the musical instrument, the type of musical sound generation can be switched to another easily during performance, which improves operability.
Since in the prior art electronic musical instruments the various set parameters are uniquely updated in accordance with the calling of an item of registered information, the parameters are changed at once, advantageously. However, when an item of registered information is called during automatic accompaniment and the type of the rhythm concerned is changed to another, this change abruptly occurs to thereby cause a feeling of musical disorder, undesirably.
In order to avoid such problem, the parameters should be changed so as not to cause such a feeling of musical disorder. This would, however, cause the advantage of changing the parameters instantaneously to be lost.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a registration apparatus and method for an electronic musical instrument capable of changing parameters without instantaneously changing the parameters and also without causing any feeling of musical disorder.
In order to achieve the above objects, according to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a registration apparatus for an electronic musical instrument, comprising:
a first memory having stored a plurality of different parameters specifying a type of musical sound generation and a type of accompaniment;
a second memory;
registration means for reading out from the first memory a plurality of different parameters specifying a type of musical sound generation and a type of accompaniment from the first memory in accordance with an instruction of registration and for registering in the second memory the read-out plurality of different parameters specifying a type of musical sound generation and a type of accompaniment;
automatic accompaniment means for reading out parameters that specify a type of accompaniment from among the plurality of different parameters stored in the first memory and for performing a corresponding automatic accompaniment;
call type specifying means for specifying one of a first and a second call type;
first registration transfer means, responsive to the call type specifying means specifying the first call type, for immediately transferring to the first memory the plurality of different parameters registered in the second memory irrespective of whether the accompaniment performed by the automatic accompaniment means is in progress; and
second registration transfer means, responsive to the call type specifying means specifying the second call type during the accompaniment performed by the automatic accompaniment means, for transferring to the first memory the plurality of different parameters registered in the second memory when the accompaniment reaches a predetermined timing.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a registration apparatus for an electronic musical instrument, comprising:
a first memory having stored a plurality of different parameters specifying a type of musical sound generation and a type of accompaniment;
a second memory;
registration means for reading out from the first memory a plurality of different parameters specifying a type of musical sound generation and a type of accompaniment from the first memory in accordance with an instruction of registration and for registering in the second memory the read-out plurality of different parameters specifying a type of musical sound generation and a type of accompaniment;
automatic accompaniment means for reading out parameters that specify a type of accompaniment from among the plurality of different parameters stored in the first memory and for performing a corresponding automatic accompaniment;
call type specifying means for specifying one of a first and a second call type;
first registration transfer means, responsive to the call type specifying means specifying the first call type, for immediately transferring to the first memory the plurality of different parameters registered in the second memory irrespective of whether the accompaniment performed by the automatic accompaniment means is in progress; and
second registration call means, responsive to the call type specifying means specifying the second call type, for immediately selecting the parameters that specify the type of musical sound generation from among the plurality of different parameters registered in the second memory and for transferring the selected parameters that specify the type of musical sound generation to the first memory irrespective of whether the accompaniment performed by the automatic accompaniment means is in progress, and for selecting the parameters that specify the type of accompaniment from among the plurality of different parameters registered in the second memory and for transferring the selected parameters that specify the type of accompaniment to the first memory when the accompaniment that is in progress, if any, reaches a predetermined timing.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a registration apparatus for an electronic musical instrument, comprising:
a first memory having stored a plurality of different parameters specifying a type of musical sound generation and a type of accompaniment;
a second memory;
registration means for reading out from the first memory a plurality of different parameters specifying a type of musical sound generation and a type of accompaniment from the first memory in accordance with an instruction of registration and for registering in the second memory the read-out plurality of different parameters specifying a type of musical sound generation and a type of accompaniment;
automatic accompaniment means for reading out parameters that specify a type of accompaniment from among the plurality of different parameters stored in the first memory and for performing a corresponding automatic accompaniment;
call type specifying means for specifying one of a first and a second call type;
first registration transfer means, responsive to the call type specifying means specifying the first call type during the accompaniment performed by the automatic accompaniment means, for transferring to the first memory the plurality of different parameters registered in the second memory when the accompaniment reaches a predetermined timing; and
second registration call means, responsive to the call type specifying means specifying the second call type, for immediately selecting the parameters that specify the type of musical sound generation from among the plurality of different parameters registered in the second memory and for transferring the selected parameters that specify the type of musical sound generation to the first memory irrespective of whether the accompaniment performed by the automatic accompaniment means is in progress, and for selecting the parameters that specify the type of accompaniment from among the plurality of different parameters registered in the second memory and for transferring the selected parameters that specify the type of accompaniment to the first memory when the accompaniment that is in progress, if any, reaches a predetermined timing.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a registration method for an electronic musical instrument, comprising the steps of:
storing a plurality of different parameters specifying a type of musical sound generation and a type of accompaniment;
reading out from the first memory a plurality of different parameters specifying a type of musical sound generation and a type of accompaniment from the first memory in accordance with an instruction of registration and for registering in a second memory the read-out plurality of different parameters specifying a type of musical sound generation and a type of accompaniment;
reading out parameters that specify a type of accompaniment from among the plurality of different parameters stored in the first memory and for performing a corresponding automatic accompaniment;
specifying one of a first and a second call type;
responsive to the specifying step specifying the first call type, immediately transferring to the first memory the plurality of different parameters registered in the second memory irrespective of whether the accompaniment performed by the automatic accompaniment means is in progress; and
responsive to the specifying step specifying the second call type during the accompaniment, transferring to the first memory the plurality of different parameters registered in the second memory when the accompaniment reaches a predetermined timing.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a registration method for an electronic musical instrument, comprising the steps of:
storing a plurality of different parameters specifying a type of musical sound generation and a type of accompaniment;
reading out from the first memory a plurality of different parameters specifying a type of musical sound generation and a type of accompaniment from the first memory in accordance with an instruction of registration and registering in a second memory the read-out plurality of different parameters specifying a type of musical sound generation and a type of accompaniment;
reading out parameters that specify a type of accompaniment from among the plurality of different parameters stored in the first memory and for performing a corresponding automatic accompaniment;
specifying one of a first and a second call type;
responsive to the specifying step specifying the first call type, immediately transferring to the first memory the plurality of different parameters registered in the second memory irrespective of whether the accompaniment is in progress; and
responsive to the specifying step specifying the second call type, immediately selecting the parameters that specify the type of musical sound generation from among the plurality of different parameters registered in the second memory and transferring the selected parameters that specify the type of musical sound generation to the first memory irrespective of whether the accompaniment is in progress, and selecting the parameters that specify the type of accompaniment from among the plurality of different parameters registered in the second memory and for transferring the selected parameters that specify the type of accompaniment to the first memory when the accompaniment that is in progress, if any, reaches a predetermined timing.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a registration method for an electronic musical instrument, comprising the steps of:
storing a plurality of different parameters specifying a type of musical sound generation and a type of accompaniment;
reading out from the first memory a plurality of different parameters specifying a type of musical sound generation and a type of accompaniment from the first memory in accordance with an instruction of registration and registering in a second memory the read-out plurality of different parameters specifying a type of musical sound generation and a type of accompaniment;
reading out parameters that specify a type of accompaniment from among the plurality of different parameters stored in the first memory and for performing corresponding automatic accompaniment;
call type specifying means for specifying one of a first and a second call type;
responsive to the specifying step specifying the first call type during the accompaniment, transferring to the first memory the plurality of different parameters registered in the second memory when the accompaniment reaches a predetermined timing; and
responsive to the specifying step specifying the second call type, immediately selecting the parameters that specify the type of musical sound generation from among the plurality of different parameters registered in the second memory and transferring the selected parameters that specify the type of musical sound generation to the first memory irrespective of whether the accompaniment is in progress, and selecting the parameters that specify the type of accompaniment from among the plurality of different parameters registered in the second memory and for transferring the selected parameters that specify the type of accompaniment to the first memory when the accompaniment that is in progress, if any, reaches a predetermined timing.
According to the above arrangement, the plurality of different parameters registered in the second memory are transferred to the first memory immediately in response to a type of calling being specified irrespective of whether the accompaniment is in progress or when the accompaniment reaches a predetermined timing. Furthermore, parameters specifying a type of musical sound generation among the plurality of different parameters registered in the second memory are transferred immediately to the first memory in response to the type of calling being specified and when the accompaniment reaches the predetermined timing only the parameter of specifying the type of accompaniment is transferred to the first memory. Therefore, the parameters can be changed or the occurrence of a feeling of musical disorder can be avoided which is due to abrupt changing of the parameters and/or abrupt switching of the type of a rhythm under accompaniment to another.